


Daddy On Board

by Karinna_Universe



Series: Daddy On Board [1]
Category: Banana Bus Squad, VanossGaming, Youtubers
Genre: Dad!Evan, Evan is a single dad, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, female oc - Freeform, the guys are all uncles and you can't stop them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-26 22:46:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7593199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karinna_Universe/pseuds/Karinna_Universe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Your mom wouldn’t just leave you here, would she?” Evan asked. He was running his hands in through his hair. The little gurgling bundle of joy that was encased in pillows sitting in his armchair blinked at him.</p><p>This is the story of Evan and his daughter, Ellie, told in moments as they grow together and deal with the hardships of being a family with a single parent. Each chapter will be different and not in chronological order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello, Princess

“Your mom wouldn’t just leave you here, would she?” Evan asked, running his hands in a panicked frenzy through his hair, the gurgling bundle of joy that was encased in pillows sitting in his armchair blinked at him.

The baby girl cooed and babbled at the YouTuber, she threw her hands up and giggled. Evan was _this_ close to picking her up, but he didn’t want to hurt her so he just sat and stared at his child. Wasn’t that crazy

His daughter.

About 30 minutes ago a girl he used to date stopped by, dropped a baby and told him she was going to pay the taxi and asked for money. In his confusion, he handed her a twenty and went into his apartment and placed the baby in the arm chair. He’s been waiting for her to come back and explain, that was 30 minutes ago.

His cellphone rang, “What!?” He yelled into the phone. Why was he yelling? He didn’t mean to yell, he was calm and there was no need to yell, and- and _he was not panicking!_

“Woah Evan! Calm down, what’s wrong man? We were supposed to start recording 15 minutes ago man!” Brock exclaimed, not expecting the exclamation instead of the usual, “Yo, what’s up!”

Evan started going through the diaper bag to find a bottle or something to entertain the baby. He placed the cell phone on his shoulder and his ear, “Brock, I- Fr _ick_ ,” he turned towards the baby, “I said frick. Okay. No bad words here.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone until Brock cleared his throat. “Evan, who are you talking to?” Evan grimaced, he pulled out a stuffed owl and handed it to the shrieking baby. As soon as the owl was in her arms she was laughing and hugging it to her.

“Evan! Ev, what on Earth are you doing? Why is there so much -what is that? Is that a baby yelling!”

“Yes. There is a baby in my apartment and her mom hasn’t come back yet and she’s not crying. Which is good, but she’s been gone for over 30 minutes and she was just gonna pay a taxi! I haven’t seen her in a year and she just pops up with a baby and goes off! Brock, what do I do, man?”

Evan’s breath got caught in his throat, he felt like he wanted to cry. Instead, he rummaged some more in the diaper bag, and in the side pocket, he found a letter.

Brock was starting to panic, “What do you mean she left to pay a Taxi? Evan, oh my god, she left you with a baby. You’re a dad now, and the baby might not even be yours! I know you’re too much of a nice guy to give her to the authorities.”

“Hold on, Brock. There’s a letter;

_Evan,_

_I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I can’t be a mother to this precious baby girl. I know you probably won’t believe me but, this is Ellie, our daughter._

_I know how unbelievable this must sound, but I’m being completely honest. I never told you because I didn’t want you to think I was trying to keep you in a relationship with me. And I regret doing so because you deserved to know your daughter._

_At the bottom of the bag is all the documents that you need for Ellie. Please take care of her, I know you’ll be a great dad. You were always taking care of me and my mess-ups._

_-Sam_ “

Evan took a deep breath and looked at the baby in his armchair, he scooped her into his arm and held the phone in his hand, forgotten.

“Ellie. Hey Princess looks like I’m your dad and you’re going to be staying with me for a long time.” Evan smiled at the baby girl that was spouting baby talk and hit him in the face repeatedly.

He heard the Skype call ringtone and went to his office to answer it. As soon as he did there was a lot of yelling and exclamations for Evan to explain what happened.

“Dude, no way that you actually have a kid! That’s insane if you need any help just let me know.” Tyler said, his voice concerned for his friend. Many of the other guys also offered their help and friendship if he and Ellie ever needed anything.

“Alright, enough of the sappy shit!” Interjected Nogla, “I want to see my niece, and yes I am totally calling myself her uncle! Turn on your face cam Evan, stop hogging her.”

“If Nogla gets to be an Uncle then I am definitely Ellie’s uncle too! I’ve known Evan longer so I call dibs on favorite Uncle!” Tyler shot back while Brock added his two cents.

An argument broke out amongst the call about being uncles while Evan set up his face cam and made sure Ellie, his daughter, was presentable.

“Alright guys, this is my baby. Get ready to die of all the cute that is my little spawn!”

As soon as the camera was on, everyone got a look at the baby that was in Evan's arms. The resemblance was almost identical, same facial structure albeit more feminine, her nose was small and more rounded, and her eyes were more of a Hazel color than the warm chocolate brown of Evan’s eyes.

There were coos and compliments from his friends, he decided that he obviously wasn’t going to record much, so he ended the call after saying his goodbyes and started researching everything he needed to know as a single father of a baby.

He might have gone overboard with all the baby stuff he bought for Ellie. Hey, this is his only child and she will have the best and cutest things he can buy.

About two weeks later, his apartment was baby proofed and Ellie’s room was an absolute masterpiece! It was a nice light green color and was mostly owl themed… and if there were stuffed animals that reminded him of his friends then it was a coincidence! Plenty of kids had stuffed pigs, moose, rabbits, lobsters, monkeys, pandas, raccoons… Okay. So he wanted his daughter to grow up with reminders of people he considered family.

He was doing fine now, the first week was chaos with the baby crying and dirty diapers, oh boy did that suck. Of course, he still suffered through not sleeping much, but he’s always been a night owl, ironically.

Ellie really did steal his heart, and she seemed to like him if he was to go by the constant gurgling and talking. Ellie was quite talkative, she babbled Evan’s ear off and it was the cutest thing, “Buh, tata ooo! Ahhhh!”

“You think so? What next, princess?”

“Buuhhh woooo ahaha! Wowuwa!”

“Wow, that’s really brave you you Ellie! I’m so proud of you, Baby. Alright, so what’s your opinion on baby food, do you want the peach one, or do you prefer carrots?” Evan asked, holding up the two containers for his daughter to see. Ellie blinked at him and blew a spit bubble. Evan nodded.

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of either. But you’re not me! So I guess I’ll just have to feed you all kinds of fruits and veggies and see what you do and don’t like. I know, I know, I suck.” He probably looked crazy right now, talking to a baby as if she understood him yet. Whatever, his mom used to talk to him when he was a baby, or so his mom said. Said that talking to babies helped them learn to speak faster.

Eliie smiled a toothless smile. Evan swore his heart grew three sizes in that moment. He swore to protect his beautiful baby girl with his life.


	2. It Takes A Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Banana Bus Squad visits the Fong Household to meet their niece, Ellie Fong, and instantly fall in love with being Uncles to such a cute little baby. However, they notice that Evan looks exhausted and try to convince him to let them help during their stay.

"Alright Princess, the guys should be getting here soon so we need to make sure you look super beautiful! What do you want to wear?" Evan held up a dress with a frilly red tutu as a skirt and a white top that said, _Daddy's Little Rebel_. "This is cute, don't you think?"

Ellie started lifting her legs in the air and paid no mind to her father, Evan shrugged and started changing the baby, if she wasn't going to help him out then he didn't need her opinion. She looked adorable in everything anyway, so he didn't know why he bothered. He heard a knocking at his door and finished putting on Ellie's little red converse on her feet, hoisted her onto his hip and quickly ran to open the door. He stopped to make sure everything was in place and looked clean, the knocking got increasingly more and more aggravated. With a roll of his eyes he unlocked the door.

Okay! Finally! I thought I was gonna have to knock down the freaking door Evan! Who's this little lady? Aren't you the cutest little thing?" Marcel barged in and took the baby out of Evan's arms and started coddling her right away, not even waiting for a greeting from Evan. Evan sighed and made sure that Marcel's suitcase was in the apartment before closing the door.

"It's nice to see you too! Yeah come on in, no need to be so shy Marcel." He teased as he kept an eye on Marcel, who was mocking Evan while Ellie, the traitor, giggled in his arms. "Well it looks like she's not too bad with strangers. Hopefully she'll also be cool with everyone else, so how was your flight? Have you eaten yet, I make something if you're hungry." Evan rambled while he took the liberty of putting Marcel's suitcase in a spare bedroom. Marcel chuckled while his friend started mothering him, "Woah, calm down Papa Bear! You've only had a kid for three months and you're already turning into a Super Mom!"

Evan smiled and sat on the couch in front of Marcel and shrugged, "Well, I mean, I've always been kind of a worry wart and loved taking care of people. Now that I'm a dad it just got more pronounced, but seriously, are you hungry?"

"No, Evan. I'm good, thanks. So how long does Uncle Marcel get before the idiots get here?" Marcel lifted the baby above his head and made faces at her. Evan warned him to not move her too much unless he wanted to upset her stomach, before answering his previous question.

"I think Lui said he was close, Nogla and Arlan are with him so they should be here soon, in the meantime do you think we should order a pizza? Maybe I could whip something up real quick?"

Marcel and Evan launched themselves into their conversation and enjoying each other's company as Ellie was slowly nodding off in Marcel's arms. Evan took her back to the nursery and placed her in her crib so that when the others arrive, they don't disturb her. While Evan was gone, a knock at the door announced their friends' presence.

Marcel opened the door and greeted his friends with a hug and an enthusiastic smile. "Hey! It's great to see you guys, you just missed Ellie, she fell asleep a little while ago and Evan is settling her down in her crib." They all gathered in Evan's living room, waiting for said man to appear.

"Dammit! Did you get to hold her, or did Evan go all mama bear on you?" Nogla said as he glanced around Evan's apartment, he snorted, the place definitely suited his friend, with very nice and modern furniture yet still maintaining a very homey feel. Marcel proceeded to brag about Ellie not fussing when he held her and how he managed to make her giggled and also lulled her to sleep. Evan finally emerged from his daughter's room and welcomed them with a very warm hug, then helped Lui and Arlan move their bags into the second bedroom he had while Nogla and Marcel set up in the first bedroom.

Tyler and Brock were the last to arrive and Evan decided to let them stay in his room, he could sleep on an air-mattress in Ellie's room, he insisted when both Tyler and Brock tried to refuse. Once everyone was pretty much accommodated with all the rooms, they ordered pizza and played a few games of Mario Kart. Evan was enjoying having his friends visit and just hanging out, it had been a while since he felt so relaxed, especially since Ellie came into his life.

"So, as much as I love you, Evan, I came for the adorable baby girl and I haven't met my niece yet!" Brock laughed, Tyler nodding in agreement. "Yeah dude, where's the adorable pipsqueak?"

Evan rolled his eyes. "You mean my baby? I think I've let her sleep long enough, she probably won't go back to sleep tonight at all and that means no sleep or editing to be had tonight." He sighed, he wished he had energy to go days without sleeping so he could accomplish everything he needed to get done and hopefully get some peaceful sleep without having to worry about anything for once. He was starting to look like his owl character with how big the bags under his eyes were getting.

Marcel hummed,"It's alright dude, we're all used to sleeping pretty late. We can take care of her while you do your thing, then maybe when you're done you can take a nap or something because you look a little dead on your feet. Have you been sleeping at all lately?"

Evan yawned in response and shrugged, "Yeah, usually when I finish editing and checking to make sure Ellie is alright. I've just been really busy lately, with Ellie and work and Youtube, it's just kinda stressful. I'm doing fine though, you guys don't need to worry or do anything while you're here, I'm happy to have you guys visit anytime!"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Dude, we're going to be here for a week. If you need help with anything then we'll do it, besides, You may be Super Dad now, but you can't do everything and take care of everyone. Let us help while we're here, Even if it's just babysitting Ellie! I totally wouldn't care if all I did was babysit her, she's adorable!"

Lui laughed. "You say that now, but when it's time to change the diapers you're probably going to run and hide like a little bitch!" Tyler threw a teasing punch at the man sitting beside him. Nogla and Marcel 'Ohhh'ing and laughing. Brock put a hand on Evan's shoulder.

"Look, this whole 'oh crap I have a kid out of nowhere' thing is super stressful and as much as you're playing the part of a guy who has his life together, you need help and I know you're not going to ask so the next few weeks that we're here, we're going to try and help you out so that you can catch up on some sleep."

"Trust him, you really need some sleep, Evan. You're starting to look like the zombies in 'Call of Duty' and that's not a good look on anyone." Lui clapped him on the shoulder as he made his way to the fridge for a drink. Evan appreciated what they were doing and saying, but he didn't want his friends to have to worry about anything during their stay in his home.

"She's my daughter, and you guys are my guests, I can't let you guys be taking over my responsibilities!"

"We're not, but remember, _'It takes a village to raise a child.'_ You really need the rest Dude, you can't be a Dad, make Youtube videos, let us stay at your place and entertain us, and not sleep. You'll end up losing your mind!"

Evan felt his resolve slipping and his shoulders relaxing, his friends were here to see him and help him out. He really loved his friends sometimes.


	3. Hurt Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan sat on the floor outside Ellie’s bedroom door, listening to his little girl cry and hating himself for being the reason she’s so unhappy. He had tried to talk to her several times and coax her out with her favorite foods but she never opened her door for him. Just asked him to leave the food at the door and forty-five minutes later he would come back to pick up the empty plates. He didn’t know what to do; his little girl hated him.

Ellie laid face down on her bed, feeling like the worst kind of human. She and her dad hadn’t been speaking to each other in the last few days because of a horrible argument.

Ellie had wanted to meet her mom and Evan had told her that he had no idea where she was, that she had left Ellie with him and left. Ellie had thought he was lying to her and she started to yell at him, blamed him for her mother leaving her and, worst of all, called him a bad father and claimed that she hated him.

Ellie was more than shocked when Evan slammed his hand against the wall and harshly told her to go to her room. She felt her anger immediately dissipate and guilt plague her, she had stepped forward and tried to apologize but Evan had turned away and she could see the tension and hurt on his shoulders as he walked to his office to record and edit.

Ellie let out another choked sob at the memory of what happened 3 days ago, how could she be such a bitch! For sixteen years this man had taken care of her, loved her, and made sure she was happy and he always put her before anything else in his life. He was more than a good father. He was the one person she loved and valued more than anything in her life. She couldn’t even face him, he probably hated her now for being so ungrateful and stupid.

Evan sat on the floor outside Ellie’s bedroom door, listening to his little girl cry and hating himself for being the reason she’s so unhappy. He had tried to talk to her several times and coax her out with her favorite foods but she never opened her door for him. Just asked him to leave the food at the door and forty-five minutes later he would come back to pick up the empty plates. He didn’t know what to do; his little girl hated him.

Evan got up and knocked on the door. “Ellie. Princess, can you open the door? We need to talk, please let me in?“

Ellie hated to hear how hurt her dad sounded, he was probably going to tell her that he hated her. “No! Go away! I don’t want to see you.” She heard a defeated sigh and felt a new lump form in her throat along with a fresh round of tears in the corners of her eyes.

Evan let his head fall on the door. He raised Ellie for 16 years and he didn’t even know how to get her to open the door, maybe he was a terrible father. He knocked once more.

“Ellie, Uncle Marcel is going to come over in a few minutes. He really wants to see you, will you let him in when he gets here?” Evan waited before tiredly rubbing his jaw, at that moment there was a knock at the door.

Ellie sat and tried to listen to the conversation between her uncle and her dad, she’d do anything to have the courage to go out there and apologize to her dad and be able to hug him again, but the immense guilt and shame kept her from doing just that. She groaned and smashed a pillow to her face to muffle her frustration.

“Ellie, it’s your favorite uncle. Can you open the door? I came all this way to see you!” Marcel called out. Ellie opened the door slightly.

“Is my dad with you?”

Marcel shook his head. “Nope. You’re dad just left to run some errands, so we have the house to ourselves to make some chaos! Let me in, Kiddo!”

Marcel sat on the bed and as soon as Ellie closed her door he started talking. “Okay, Why do you and your dad look like kicked puppies? What happened?”

Ellie sighed and leaned on her uncle’s shoulder and told him what happened, relieved that she could talk to someone and get their opinion on what to do. She explained what had happened and told him everything she had said; when she got to the part where she told her dad that she hated him and got incredibly angry at herself again.

“I told him I hated him! I’m such a horrible person, my dad probably hates me so much! He’s done so many things for me; I practically ruined his life when my mother left me with him! I don’t think he’s ever dated, or done anything for himself since I came along.” Ellie cried into Marcel’s chest.

Marcel hugged her and ran his hand through her hair to try and calm her down. “He doesn’t hate you, Ellie. He was just hurt and mad that he couldn’t track her down for you. Your dad’s been trying to find her ever since you were 10 years old so you could meet her. He would never be able to hate you, you’re his little Princess.”

Ellie nodded. “I know. I just feel so ashamed that I ever said that to my dad, I felt like that’s the worst thing I could’ve said to him and I don’t know how to face him.”

Marcel nodded. “Yeah, that was mean of you, however, your dad understands why you feel that way. He also knows that you didn’t mean what you said. Just talk to him because you both feel so bad and not talking is only going make you feel worse.”

Ellie nodded, she wiped her eyes and swept her black hair into a bun. “Okay Uncle Marcel, what do we do until my dad gets back? Could we play some games or watch a movie? Actually, we should get ice cream because dad never lets me get ice cream before dinner.”

Marcel grinned and clapped his hands, “How about we make your dad dinner and then we can have some ice cream if your dad isn’t here by then? Then I’m leaving to go to Mini’s place for a recording session.”

They started gathering things to make a pizza. Ellie opened the fridge to find the tomato sauce, “I haven’t seen Uncle Craig in a while. Tell him I said hi!” Ellie closed the fridge and helped her uncle make the pizzas.

Evan walked in forty-five minutes later, walking into the living room to see Marcel and Ellie laughing and eating ice cream while watching a movie. Ellie heard the door close and quietly went to him. Evan smiled at her and Ellie let the rush of warm feelings push her to hug her dad.

“Dad, I am so sorry! I never meant it when I told that I hate you. I could never hate you because you’re the most important person in my life and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Forgive me?”

Evan sighed, his stress lifting and a smile gracing his face. “There’s nothing to forgive, I know you want to meet your mom and I’ve been trying to find her. I’m just glad you aren’t mad and ignoring me anymore.” Evan saw Marcel smile and show himself out, saying he had to meet up with Craig.

Ellie and Evan ate their pizza and spent the rest of the night talking and catching up on their father and daughter time that they missed from the past few days. Both of them hoped to never have a terrible argument like that ever again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we see Ellie learning to drive with her Uncle Tyler. Then we see the gang trying to find Evan a much needed date after 17 long years.

“Oh fuck! My bad-- oh my god.”

 

“Watch your mouth! Pay attention to what you're doing, kid!” Tyler gripped the door handle of the car. He was going to fucking die and it was going to be Evan’s fault.

 

_ “You're a better driver than I am, dude. If anyone should teach her it’s you.” Evan had grabbed Tyler’s shoulder as Ellie grinned up at her uncle while she hugged her dad’s waist. _ Tyler knew he was being set up, but he could never say no to these two assholes. 

 

Of  _ fucking _ course Ellie would grow up to be equally as charming and as much of a cheeky prick as her dad. They had both suckered Tyler into teaching Ellie how to drive when they came up to visit, his only conditions were that it’d have to be in Evan’s car and that it would only be around the neighborhood until she got the hang of it.

 

“Sorry, Uncle T. I didn’t see that car coming.” Ellie ran a hand through her hair and chuckled, a nervous tick she picked up from Evan. 

 

Tyler huffed and turned to face the 17 year old, “That’s why you need to pay attention, okay?” At the girl’s bashful nod he continued. “Don’t accelerate when you're backing up, just ease off the brake and the car will move on its own.”

 

Ellie checked to see if anyone was coming and eased her foot off the brake, the car started moving backwards. Tyler praised her and watched as she moved the steering wheel to the left. 

 

“No-no-no! I want to go the other way!” Ellie drove forward again, rolling her eyes when her uncle laughed. She finally straightened herself out on the street.

 

“Cool, cool. So when you're backing up you turn the steering wheel the opposite way you want to go. Good to know.”

 

Tyler looked back towards his doorstep and saw Evan and Kelly standing there, smiling and laughing to themselves. Evan seemed more nervous and looked like he wanted to stop them and prevent his princess from leaving him.

 

“Dad doesn’t want me to leave, I started looking at colleges and scholarships and I can tell he’s going nuts.” Ellie spoke after they turned the corner no longer within sight of the house.

 

“Has he said he doesn’t want you to leave? Don’t forget your turn signal.” Tyler was a bit impressed about how calm she was behind the wheel.

 

Ellie bit her lip. She muted the radio and gripped the wheel. “Not really, but I know my dad. I know he’s proud of me and he wants me to do what makes me happy.” She trailed off, unsure how to proceed.

 

She took a deep breath. “It’s just that, I want to go out of state, and I think he at least wanted me to go somewhere in California but I don’t know if I want that.” 

 

Tyler nodded and thought about his response. The truth was: Evan was freaking out. His baby, which became his entire life, was wanting to leave and Ev didn’t know how to deal with that.

 

“Ev just needs to get used to the idea that he’s not going to have you around anymore. It’s not that he doesn’t want you to leave, he’s just scared for you and worried about what he’ll do now that you're going off to college.”

 

Ellie glanced at him, the look in her eyes told him that she knew that. Okay, he knew the problem.

 

“You're worried about him.”

 

She scoffed. “Of course, I am! He hasn’t had a serious girlfriend ever since I came into his life. All of his dates ended up terrible because he feels like paying attention to anything he wants is being a bad parent!”

 

They passed Tyler’s house, and saw Evan leaning against Tyler’s garage door, waiting. He gave them a thumbs up as they drove by. Ellie honked at him while Tyler gave him the finger.

 

“I can’t believe you guys are in your 40s and still act like 20 year olds.” Ellie smiled.

 

“Respect your elders, kiddo.” Tyler wagged his finger at her. “Anyway, your dad decided to focus on you, and sure; he might be a bit lost when you leave for college. He might focus more on posting videos or maybe now that you won’t be at home, he might start dating again.” Tyler shrugged.

 

To be honest, all of their friends had told Evan that he should start dating again when Ellie had gotten old enough to be self sufficient. Evan, however, had this idea that if he started dating a girl and she was a bitch to his baby and Ellie might get scared to tell him or that he wouldn’t notice the abuse.

 

“Evan that’s fucking stupid, idiot. You? Not notice any abuse to your daughter when you're the most observant and caring parent I've ever met?” Brain laughed. “I doubt it, dude.” 

Brock chimed in. “Plus, Ellie not telling you something is also a ridiculous thought. Especially if something is making her unhappy.”

In the end Evan had just moved the conversation to a different topic and avoided it ever since. So Tyler and the gang completely understood where Ellie was coming from.

 

“You're not doing too bad, did Ev teach you?” Tyler mused. Ellie chuckled and shook her head. 

 

“Yeah, I almost gave him a heart attack like-- 3 times. He deserves a break and he never let me reverse which is why I didn't know I had to turn the wheel the opposite way.” Ellie grinned at the memories of her dad cursing up a storm and fussing over her.

 

“Alright, have you gotten enough? I have kids of my own you know? You're dad can only spoil them so much before it starts to get to their head.” Tyler joked, knowing how much it annoyed Ellie that her dad spoiled everyone of her cousins except his actual kid.

 

“Oh please, you spoil Marcella and Jackson enough without my dad. He just likes to rub it in my face that he spoils everyone else’s kids.” Ellie pulled into the driveway carefully, and waved at her dad, who was playing basketball with Tyler’s two 12 year old twins. 

 

“Ellie! You didn’t die! Proud of you, loser!” Jackson teased as he stole the ball from his sister. Ellie watched, smiling, as Marcella complained that they were on the same team. 

 

Her dad made the two twins stop arguing and made his way to his kid. He he looked over her to see if there any damage and then he quickly glanced at his car.

 

Tyler clapped him on the back, “Calm down, Papa Bear! Neither of your babies were injured in the making of this movie.” Evan chuckled and pulled Ellie in for a side-hug and a kiss to her temple. 

 

“Good, I would have killed you and kept your kids as my own.” Evan jokes. Tyler rolled his eyes and commented that the twins wouldn’t mind one bit to be raised by their cool, super famous music artist for an uncle.

 

The twins grinned but kept playing amongst themselves but this time convincing Ellie to play with them. 

 

Tyler and Evan went back inside and started bugging Kelly, who was used to their shenanigans but still wouldn’t take shit from them. They all bantered and conversed for a while in the living room, occasionally stopping to watch the tv.

 

Kelly had laid her head in her husband’s lap and Tyler immediately started playing with her hair. Kelly looked back at Evan and remembered what all of their friends had talked about last time they visited.

 

“Ev.” Kelly got his attention. Evan looked up from his phone and raised his eyebrows.

 

“I know it’s none of my business but, 1) I’m nosey, 2) I love you, and 3) you're family so I can ask this. Are you seeing anyone? Like, dating?” 

 

Evan ran a hand through his longer hair, and stretched his arms out after. She could tell he was stalling and by the snort her husband gave she knew Tyler could tell too. “Of course he’s not! He’s practically like the Forty-year-old virgin at this point!”

 

Evan rolled his eyes and made a motion above his head. “Obviously I’m not. I have a daughter.” Evan put down his phone to cross his arms, “To be honest, I just haven’t been interested in starting a relationship,” He gave Kelly a Look before she could say anything, “And I have had flings here and there. They didn’t mean anything and it was all just to take the edge off.”

 

Kelly frowned. “Ev, you need more than Ellie to give you stability. You need more than your kid and friends to keep yourself busy.”

 

“I have work, and my music.” Evan felt like that kept him pretty busy as of late, even Ellie couldn’t drag him away sometimes, no matter how much she whined, or pouted.

 

“Evan.” Both Kelly and Tyler were looking at him disapprovingly. Evan wished his friends would leave his love life alone because he didn’t want a relationship; he was happy, and as much as it was anxiety inducing that his little girl was going to college soon, he was completely happy with staying alone with their old cat, Mikey.

 

“Look, I appreciate it guys. I really do, I think it’s sweet that you worry.” Evan sighed and ran his hand down his face. “I don’t want to date. I just think it’s stupid and pointless. I’m forty-four and I think I’m pretty happy with the one kid I have, not to mention that I’m always visiting you all and you guys come over all the time.” 

 

Kelly scowled at him. Damn this stubborn idiot, can’t he see that he’s really not happy? She looked up at her husband and willed him to say something to change Evan’s mind.

 

Tyler groaned. “You're so goddamned stubborn, Evan!” Tyler glared at Evan, blue eyes piercing through him. “Just go on a couple of dates! We’re not asking you to get married, just go out more and don’t just hole up in your house because Ellie is going off to college.”

 

Evan felt his patience running thin so he rolled his eyes and relented. “Fine.”

 

Both Kelly and Tyler’s jaws dropped, they took a moment and looked at each other warily before looking back at Evan. 

 

Kelly cleared her throat. “Okay?”

 

“Yeah. Okay. Set me up on a date, and if I hit it off with this person then I’ll get back into dating. If it’s a disaster then I’ll decide if I want to be a homebody for the rest of my life if I want to and I don’t want anyone else meddling in my love life. Got it?” Evan got up and stormed off towards the back yard to get some air.

 

Kelly looked on, worried that they might have crossed the line. Her husband, on the other hand, was already getting everyone else on a discord call and excitedly setting up candidates for Evan to date.

 

“Wait, did he seriously okay this?” Brock, the constant voice of reason made sure, not wanting to do something that would make their friend uneasy. Nogla snorted. 

 

“Who fucking cares if he’s okay with it? He needs it, the rest of us are married or together with someone. We’re doing this because we care.”

 

“Yeah, Brock! Plus, if Evan’s really not okay with it he doesn’t have to go through with it, it’s not like we're holding him at gunpoint.” Scotty added. He was going through his list of contacts that he knew were single and looking for a relationship.

 

“I mean, he already gave us his word so if he doesn’t do then he’s a lying B-word.” Jonathan interjected, automatically censoring himself as a habit from doing so in front of his sons.

 

“So are we looking for ladies or gentlemen? He’s Bi, right?” Marcel asked and Simone was heard confirming his question. “Well that doesn’t narrow down the list, Babe!” 

 

Chrissy jumped in to ask, “Is he polyamorous? I know this couple that would be perfect for him!”

 

Anthony laughed, “I really doubt it! This fucker’s been practically celibate for 16 years or so and you want him to jump into a preexisting relationship?” 

 

Everyone could practically hear Chrissy roll her eyes, “Well they’d take care of him.”

 

Brian spoke up from the unusual quiet that overcame the discord. “Where is Evan in all of this?”

 

Kelly answered, feeling a bit guilty. “He got frustrated with Ty and I and went outside to take a breather. I’ll go talk to him.”

 

Kelly kissed Tyler and made her way to the back porch. She saw leaning against the railing and staring out at the field. She stood next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

 

“What’s wrong, bud?” Kelly would be the first to admit that she felt a close sibling bond with Evan. He was like the brother she’s always wanted and they were pretty affectionate and even had a bit of sibling rivalry.

 

“What if I fuck up every relationship I try?” Evan sounded miserable. “Kelly, every relationship I’ve ever had has ended up in smoke and even Ellie’s mom and I just couldn’t work it out.” 

 

Kelly hugged him from the side. “Is that what all this is? Self doubt? That’s the reason you’ve been neglecting your own happiness?”

 

“Ellie makes me happy! You guys make me happy, you're my family, Kells.” Evan smiled down at her.

 

“But it’s not the same as having a partner, Ev. Someone to lean on when you need them. Yeah, we are all here for you when you need us, but it’s not the same and you know that.”

 

Evan frowned and went back to looking at the field in front of them. “So how's the search going? To be honest I’m kind of excited, I guess I was feeling a bit lonely.” 

 

Kelly grinned and bumped her forehead to his arm. “Oh my God! They're pulling out every person we know that has ever shown interest in you! They tried to narrow down between men and women but you're bi so it didn’t help at all.” Kelly paused. “Do you have any preferences that you’d want us to consider.”

 

Evan let himself consider it. He shrugged and led Kelly back inside, “I’m into smart, funny, and hard-working people. I’m into muscley guys and gals but personality is make or break.”

 

Tyler pulled Evan to sit next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Here’s the man of the hour! Ellie, we did it! You're dad is gonna start dating again!”

 

“Shut up! Really? That’s awesome, Dad! I knew you had it in you somewhere to not be a lonely old man!” Ellie materialized behind the couch and gave him a hug from behind.

 

“Hey Ev! Hey Ellie, you two don’t visit anymore.” Chrissy greeted. Ellie laughed, “Same goes for you guys! Visit us and we’ll visit you, it’s only fair!”

 

Ellie said goodbye and went back upstairs after ransacking the fridge for food. Kelly followed her up and came back down with some chocolates. “These are mine, you heathens.”

 

Evan was bombarded with questions and people who he should go out with. Quickly regretting giving them free reign until Simone piped up. “What about your neighbor? Didn’t she get divorced from her cheating husband a few years back?”

 

“How do you know that?” 

 

“Women talk when their scorned, love. She told us when we went to Ellie’s 15th birthday get together.” Simone told Evan.

 

Evan remembered his neighbor, Tanya. She was a sweet hispanic lady that had moved to the neighborhood into their neighborhood a few years ago, after she caught her husband cheating on her and walked out on him.

 

Tanya and Evan hit it off and became really great friends, especially when he noticed that Ellie began to see her as a mother figure. Tanya became family but neither Evan or Tanya tried to go further than friendship. They were definitely attracted to each other, and maybe even grew to love each other. 

 

However, Tanya didn’t want to get burned again and Evan was content and completely focused on his daughter. They both had an unspoken agreement that they were great friends and nothing else. 

 

Maybe it was time to come to a new agreement.

 

“You know what, Simone? That’s a great idea!” Evan was already texting Tanya to see if she was free the day he and Ellie got back. “I’ll see if Tanya’s available.”

  
The call was full of exciting yelling and cheering.


	5. Periods of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first bit is kind of how my dad handled my period when my mom was out of town. Hearing my friends talk about how their dads get uncomfortable is kind of sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead! Yay!

“Oh my God.” Evan heard as he passed the bathroom door. He was about to knock and ask if she was alright when the door flew open and he was pulled into the bathroom. He blinked and looked at what Ellie was pointing and freaking out about.

He was honestly expecting a rat from how panicked she was. Instead, he faced the toilet with red water- oh boy. He chuckled a little, it was just her first period, nothing too serious. Ellie was staring up at him in shock. The 11 year old had never experienced this before and her school offered sex ed to 12 year olds and up.

“It’s okay, Ellie. It’s just your period.” Ellie gasped. She told him that she heard the older girls saying that it was painful and that it felt like they were dying. “I don’t want to feel like I’m dying! I’m only 11, I have so much life left to live Dad!” Ellie gripped his hand in hers.

Evan rolled his eyes and flushed the toilet, he checked the back of her pants to see if she had bleed through yet. He told her to cover up with a jacket and asked if she wanted to go with him to the store and he’ll explain on the way or wait until he gets back with some stuff.

She wanted to go with him so he helped her pick out the thickest jacket and they set off. Evan had been doing some research for when she needed him and he was glad that he had. Ellie was enthralled with his explanation and was asking questions. She asked if she could maybe call one of her aunts to ask more questions.

“I mean, not that I don’t trust you, Daddy, but you're not a girl.. you know what I mean?” Ellie smiled amusement written all over her face.

Evan nodded as he grabbed a buggie. He’ll buy her some pads and he’ll also get some things that they're start to run low on. They made their way across the store and eventually made it to the feminine hygiene products. Ellie immediately made her way to the colorful Kotex box.

Evan looked for something a bit more cost efficient and practical pads. He was eyeing a package of 20 that had a coupon for a 2 for 1 deal when he heard a _k-thunk_ of a box being tossed into the buggie. He raised an eyebrow as he saw that the package said _Kotex Tampons._

“Princess, I don’t think you should start with tampons.” Ellie crossed her arms. “But the older girls are always saying that pads are for little girls. The big girls use tampons.”

Evan prayed for patience because he felt a tantrum brewing. He smiled, hoping for understanding and not condescending, “Ellie, I just think that maybe you should start with pads because you just started your period. Maybe later on, when you know more about the subject, we can buy you some tampons.”

There was an older teenager that excused her way past Evan to grab a pack of pads. She overheard him and smiled at Ellie. She looked at Evan.

“Do you mind if I give you some advice?” The girl asked, looking back and forth between the father and daughter. They both nodded, Ellie excitedly and Evan more guarded.

The girl crouched and grabbed a pack of pads near the bottom. She held them out while explaining that the store brand were best for girls just starting. “They're long but not super bulky, really absorbent and had little wings so you can secure them to your underwear.”

The girl noticed Ellie’s disappointment and  grinned. “Trust me girl, tampons are uncomfortable and a hassle to really get used to.” She shrugged. “I only use them because I have swim meets that fall on my period week. Otherwise,” The girl shook the package in her hand, “these are my go-to, but the ones I’m recommending to you are until you get used to it.”

Ellie seemed to understand and grabbed the package. The girl gave Ellie a fist-bump and turned to face Evan. “These are cheap and actually pretty good, not to mention that there’s a lot in there.” She paused.

“I’m glad that you're not being weird about this. You're letting her know that this is normal and that it’s not gross or something that she should be ashamed about.” She smiled sadly. “I wish my dad didn’t make a big deal everytime I used to ask him to buy me pads or tampons.”

Evan nodded and thanked her for the help. They talked for a bit more because Ellie had questions that the girl (“Call me Madi! M-a-d-i”) was more than happy to answer.

“How old are you, Ellie?” Madi furrowed her eyebrows. She was shocked and sympathetic when Ellie confessed she was eleven. “Oh wow! I started when I was 15, I don’t want to scare you but I do feel a bit bad for you.”

“Why’s that?” Evan asked. Madi shrugged and said that it was really only because Ellie would have to deal with her period longer than she would because Ellie got hers so young. Granted there were some girls that get theirs at nine years old.

They thanked Madi and purchased their things before heading home. Ellie immediately changed and went to cuddle with Evan when her stomach started hurting. She cried out and curled into a ball, immediately alerting Evan. He panicked for a bit before remembering some tips he read.

He started rubbing circles into her back and covered her legs and tummy with a blanket to warm her. Ellie hated this. Let her die right here and now if that meant that she’d never experience this again.

She whined and reached out for her dad as he got up and went to the kitchen. He came back with a glass of water and some pain medicine. She downed the two tablets and melted into the couch as her dad rubbed her back. Evan frowned. He understood that this was life and all that but he hated to see his baby girl so miserable.

“Dad?” Ellie lifted her head, “Can we call aunt Chrissy? Or Aunt Lauren?” Evan pulled out his phone and handed it to her. She unlocked it and called Aunt Chrissy because her Aunt Lauren was probably busy with the new baby.

Scott answered on the third ring. “What’s up Ev? Why’re you calling my girl?” He teased. Ellie giggled and immediately Scott perked up.

“Ellie! How are you sweetheart? You still being an awful gremlin?” Ellie laughed and rolled her eyes.

“What else would I be? I live to make everyone’s life a mess!” She felt another cramp and hesitantly asked. “Actually, I need to talk to Aunt Chrissy, can you put her on the phone? Love you!”

Chrissy was on the phone just a minute later after Scotty said his goodbyes and promised to visit soon, as if he wasn’t just here a month ago for E3. Chrissy greeted the girl enthusiastically and asked about Evan. Evan let himself be heard and said hello.

“Alright, what’s up Ellie?” Ellie explained that she started her period and that now she felt like a punching bag. Chrissy made a sound of understanding before launching into some tips to help relieve the pain and to lessen them in the future.

Walking around barefoot was apparently not good, wear at least flip-flops around the house. Additionally, mild exercise was good for cramps: jogging, dancing and beginner yoga helped the best sometimes for people who aren’t to used to exercising.

Comfy clothes were recommended but she could still wear whatever she wanted if she was comfortable doing so. Chrissy also recommended for Ellie to start recording her period start and end in a journal, as well as how she was feeling and what she did and ate. It helped understand how her period worked and figure out her schedule so that she wouldn’t be surprised and ruin her clothes or bed sheets.

“Sweetheart, don’t freak out if for the first few months it’s irregular. Your body needs time to adjust but eventually it’ll straighten out, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am! Thank you so much, Chrissy, I feel so much better. Dad has been a huge help but I just wanted another opinion.” Ellie stuck her tongue out at her dad’s incredulous face. Chrissy laughed. “No problem, kiddo! Come visit us soon, we have chores with your name on them you spoiled brat.”

“What are you talking about! I’m practically Cinderella- I do everything here at the house! The only thing dad does is cook and clean his own room!”

Evan protested and tickled her side. Chrissy chuckled and said her goodbyes. Ellie handed the phone back to her dad, “When do I get my phone?”

Evan smirked. “You you get an A in history, silly.” He grinned wickedly when she groaned, she hated history and would, more often than not, fall asleep in class. She was currently almost failing.

\--------

Evan was driving back home from the airport when he got a call from Ellie. He answered and she started rambling about how it was only 3rd period and her pants were already ruined and she was so embarrassed because she left a stain on her chair and someone exposed her on it.

“Dad, can you bring me a change of clothes? Or just pick me up? I want to die.” Ellie pouted. Evan sighed. He was glad he came home today or else she’d be mortified all day.  But first-- “Hi Daddy, how was your flight? Did you make another banger of a music video?”

Ellie didn’t miss a beat. “Hi Princess, my flight was tiring but I’m glad to be home with my Angel. We’ll see about the video but I have a good feeling the fans will love it, I’m on my way to take you home. See you in a few.”

They both chuckled. Ellie spoke again first, “Dad.” Evan rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright! I’m going to get you some shorts and I’ll pick you up in a few minutes. Let me call the front office and ask if you can stay in the nurse’s office.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Ellie smiled. “Love you! Bye!” “Love you too, Princess. Bye”

Ellie walked out from the nurse, finally in a change of shorts and a relieved grin as she ran towards her dad. Evan caught her and twirled around with her legs in the air. He had missed his daughter while he away for four days to record another music video. Ellie was old enough to take care of herself but their neighbor Tanya would check in every so often.

The 15 year old hugged him close and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I missed you! Did you bring me something back?”

They walked back to the G-Wagon and decided to go out for lunch. Ellie kept bugging her dad until he confessed what he brought her. He kept saying that it was a surprise. They dropped it and sat listening to the radio with peaceful smiles on their faces.

While they ate Ellie vented about the boy that pointed at her pants and laughed at her before making a show of wiping off the seat with a wet towel that the teacher kept on her desk. “I mean seriously! Are we five? Most of the girls told him off for me but I just felt so embarrassed.”

Ellie put her head in her hands and groaned. “Oh my god. Ethan saw the whole thing, he told Rick to stop but he must have been so grossed out.”

That was new. Evan took a bite out of his sundae, eyeing his daughter’s untouched one in front of him. “Ethan, huh, who’s that?” He took a shot and dipped his spoon into the sundae, Ellie had gotten a different flavor and he ended up liking the weird mix of cookie and birthday cake. Ellie gasped and smacked his hand with her spoon.

“Stop that!” She finally dug in. “Ethan’s this boy that I’ve had a crush on for awhile- awhile, meaning a year and a half.”

Evan hummed, letting Ellie steal some of his own ice cream. “What’s he like? Is he nice? Is he a smart kid or kind of ditzy but has a heart of gold?”

Ellie smiled and Evan realized how deep in trouble he was, she was smiling as if she was on a cloud. His little girl was infatuated with a boy and the only brightside was that she was comfortable enough to talk to Evan about it. He had to be cool and relaxed.

Ellie started to describe the boy: really nice and dresses well, he’s smart but has terrible grammar when he’s nervous. He’s pretty shy but can think of a funny quip on the fly to defend himself or others. Usually wears contacts but looks “so adorable I want to die” when he wears glasses. Evan couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

Ellie laughed with him. “I know, I sound like literally every fan gushing about you but I think I get it.” Ellie shrugged, “It’s just that you like their personality and you're already so far gone that when you see how handsome they are it blows you away.” Evan hummed. He never thought about it like that.

Crossing his arms and leaning into the booth he gave Ellie a stern look. “Has this boy ever talked to you? Is this a recent crush or-?” Ellie nodded vigorously.

“Yeah! For sure we talk all the time! We're really good friends and we eat lunch together with the rest of our group. I used to think we were just besties but I just- I don’t know, all of a sudden he’s laughing or smiling and I just want to make sure he's always happy.”

Ellie bit her lip. She looked up and reached for her dad’s hand, who quickly grabbed hers and squeezed it reassuringly. Ellie sighed. “Is this how you felt about mom?”

Evan thought about it. He wasn’t sure. Maybe at some point he was head over heels for Ellie’s mom but that memory was tainted everytime he thought about how she just abandoned their child with him. He would always be grateful for having the opportunity to raise his princess but he knew Ellie suffered.

“I’m sure at some point I did feel that way for your mom, but she and I were completely different people with different goals.” Evan decided that was the best answer he could give her.

“Anyway, do you think he likes you back?” Evan rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. Ellie groaned and pulled away to glare out the window. “I don’t think I have a chance after what happened today.” Evan doubted that was true. If the kid liked her then he was positive that a bit of blood won’t scare him away. Unfortunately.

Evan’s attention was drawn to Ellie’s phone as the light up notification went off. Ellie read the text and her face lit up. She tapped away for a bit and giggled when another text immediately popped up again. Evan rolled his eyes and tried to peek over discreetly. Ellie laughed and just turned her phone so he could see the messages.

_Ethan 11:37am - Hey, are you alright? I can’t believe Rick tried to embarrass you like that. What a dick._

**_Me 11:37am -I’m fine, Eth, thanks for checking on me! That’s so sweet._** **_I KNOW! That wasn’t fun at all, I felt like a black hole should’ve definitely swallowed me whole._ **

_ Ethan 11:38am - No! Then who would share unenthusiastic looks when our friends drag us to stuff we don’t want to do? I would lose my mind!! _

Evan felt a bit of pressure release from his chest, seems like the kid genuinely cared and was friendly. Of course, that was just a text but seeing the smile on his princess’s face made him want to be supportive about it all.

“He definitely likes you.” 

“I mean yeah, would you check on people you don’t like?”

“You know what I mean, dork.” Evan flicked her hand. She cackled and flicked him back, her acrylic nails making a more satisfying noise than his did. 

“Do you think I should ask him out?” Ellie chewed on her lip, her eyes staring at her phone while she tapped on the side of it. Evan shrugged.

“Whatever you wanna do, Kiddo.”

**_Me 11:44am - Hey Eth, do you want to go bowling with me? As a date? Asking for a friend.. Me… I am the friend._ **

_ Ethan 11:45am - I’d love to go bowling with you, as a date.  I’ve been trying to get the courage to ask you but I guess we both knew you're braver than I’ll ever be! _

_ \--- _

Ellie laughed as she looked at the pregnancy test in her hand, tears of joy running down her cheeks. She listened to the dial tone as she rang the first person who came to mind.

“Princess? You okay?” Evan’s voice sounded thick with sleep. Ellie heard shuffling and Tanya’s voice chime through, asking if everything was alright. Ellie let out another tear soaked laugh.

“Yeah, everything is perfect! Daddy, I missed my period a few weeks ago..”

“Okay. So no cramps? You're not old enough for menopause.” God, her dad was so cute when he was sleepy.

“I’ve also been feeling a bit sick at random times of the day…” Ellie heard a gasp come from Tanya. So her stepmom caught on, she really hoped that she wouldn’t tell Evan.

“Have you gone to the doctor, sweetheart? Maybe you caught something on your anniversary trip?” Oh Lord. Ellie heard Tanya snort and Evan shushing her.

“That’s my next step just to be sure.” Ellie groaned. “Daddy. I missed my period, I’m feeling nauseous almost 24/7, and I peed on a stick that may or may not say that you're going to be a grandpa.”

Silence. Ellie held her breath. Was he not excited?

“Well that pregnancy test sure is wordy. Since when aren’t they just the lines?”

“Daddy!” “Evan!” Ellie and Tanya exclaimed. Evan was heard laughing.

“Princess, I am so happy! I can’t wait to spoil them rotten and feeding them sugar and pass them off to you so you can deal with that mess.” Evan was beaming, his arm around his wife and tears fell down his face. 

They spoke excitedly for a bit before Tanya asked, “Have you told your husband?” 

“Not yet. Oh my god, he’s going to be so happy! I want to plan something special so I can tell him.” Ellie started fretting and hung up as soon as she heard her husband pull into the driveway. 

“Honey, I brought you some chocolates and pads. I noticed that you forgot to stock up after the last time.” Her husband kissed her and handed her the bag. She beamed at him and thought about the pregnancy test hidden in her high heels at the back of their closet. 

She needed to start planning. **_  
“Thank you love, I’m going to need those soon.”  _ **

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Feedback is appreciated!


End file.
